Central America - First Trip to Nicaragua (or elsewhere in Central America)

Fellow FTers,

Could use some advice - want to take Dec 23 until Jan 2 as vacation this year. Want to explore Central America because we're California based, and since it's a relatively short trip, we don't want to spend a lot of time flying (otherwise, my top pick would be Burma). I've been curious about Nicaragua for a long time. Would it make sense to do a few days on Little Corn Island and a few days in one of the Nicaraguan cities? I'm generally a fan of remote places / places that are not much developed (hence my Burma interest). Beach is awesome, but I'm not a diver, so I could probably only take 4-6 days before I get super bored. Do the Corn Islands provide good swimming? I'm a big fan of being in the water.

Thanks in advance!

just came back from there took a bus tide to rivas and jumped on the ferry to Ometepe and spend four days in the beatifull island stayed at the Playa Verde hotel in the pacific side were the wind does not bother, had a great time!

This thread won't be specifically to your request, but does have helpful information about Nicaragua. There's particularly good information about Granada.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/central-america/1082878-nicaraqua.html

I'm living in NicaLand now. Shoot me a PM and I will give you my email address and Nica phone number if you like. I will be glad to advise you on anything (non-Corn Island) or be available to just answer any general questions.

I just bought a car and motorcycle :eek: but am not really 100% confident driving here and I have driven in LOTS of big US cities without any fear whatsoever sooooo..... here is my advice: I don't recommend renting a car.... yes, lots of people do it and survive, but as cheap as drivers are, I say better to relax and let someone else deal with the crazy traffic.

You will love it here, lots to see and do, please feel free to contact me, I have lived here for 10 years and love it.

Since your time is rather limited, as mine was, I'd advise you to hit the main spots: Granada (wonderful colonial city), Ometepe Island (amazing!), San Juan del Sur (great beaches), and Leon (another great colonial city with outdoor activities nearby). We used Paxeos for our transfers between towns - very easy and they have good routes.

Don't forget to have a couple Nica-mojitos when you get to Granada.

Personally I would skip Leon. It is a bit of a drive and feel it was a waste of time. I'm sure there may be a few that will disagree, but I think you'd be better off driving south.. hitting Masaya, Granada, and then San Juan del Sur. Maybe stop at the volcano and lagoon in Masaya. I enjoyed doing the Choco Museo in Granada and making chocolate.

I was in Nicaragua for about 3 weeks earlier this year - and I must say it's now one of my favorite countries.

Whatever you do - don't miss Granada and Ometepe! If you have the time, but I don't think you will, you should try to go to Somoto canyon as well.

Ometepe is the best thing in Nica and probably all of CA. Rent a moto if you're adventurous, and explore Ometepe for a few days.

I would personally recommend heading to San Juan del Sur. It's been developed more over the years but it's still a great place to hit the beach, have a few good meals (and drinks) and have fun. It's also close enough to border hop into Costa Rica for a day or two if that catches your fancy.